In semiconductor technology, a semiconductor substrate can be bonded to another substrate in applications such as the fabrication of a back-illuminated imaging device or a micro-electro mechanical system (MEMS). While having a second, bonded substrate can facilitate the processing of the semiconductor substrate, it can produce additional difficulties. For example, a polishing process often cannot achieve expected surface flatness when using a second, bonded substrate due to bonding quality issues such as air bubbles and delaminations.